BREAKING: Kevin Willard accepts head coaching job with Villanova
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After weeks of rumors and speculation, Maryland fans finally have an answer to the head coaching drama in College Park. Following three seasons with the Terrapins, Kevin Willard is set to become the next head coach at Villanova.
Breaking: Kevin Willard and Villanova have agreed to a deal to make him the next head coach of the Wildcats, sources tell Fox Sports. @Jeff_Ermann first reported this news.
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) March 30, 2025
Although Willard indicated that his hope was to remain at Maryland, he was also clear that there were several things he was unhappy with. During a press conference ahead of Maryland's first round matchup against Grand Canyon, Willard said that the NIL support for his basketball program was one of the worst in the country. He also singled out an instance where he wanted to remain in New York for an extra night with his team during the season, but was told that there wasn't enough money in the budget to do that.
Given the current landscape of college basketball, Willard's push to have more NIL support for his program was a reasonable pursuit. Without a strong NIL program in place, it's nearly impossible to recruit the type of talent capable of delivering championships.
But Maryland did reportedly extend an offer to Willard that would make him one of the top 10 highest paid coaches in college basketball. According to CBS college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein, the deal included $5 million each year with additional guarantees presumably aimed at alleviating some of Willard's concerns. Obviously that wasn't enough to keep him in College Park.
With Willard now off to Villanova, the Maryland Basketball program is once again searching for its next head coach.
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Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. In January of 2025, he took over as Publisher for Maryland On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.
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